


Hogwarts Star Radio

by Luna_Bass



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Canon Compliant, Journalism, Radio, Reader-Interactive, Secret Identity, almost
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-14
Updated: 2021-01-09
Packaged: 2021-02-26 04:08:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,236
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21787291
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Luna_Bass/pseuds/Luna_Bass
Summary: There is a radio show exclusively for Hogwarts students. This is the story of how it, and its enigmatic host, pull Hogwarts through a war.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 2





	1. The First Broadcast

The date is the 30th of October, 1994, and you are a Hogwarts student.

Everywhere for the past week, on practically every public wall in the school, there have been signs posted, simply saying: **196.7 WM, Sunday evenings at 8.** The number, to your and everyone else's knowledge, is a station on the Wizarding Wireless Network that hasn't been taken yet. There are any number of other exciting new things going on at school, especially this year, but the signs are so plain and mysterious that you can't help but wonder. You've asked the professors about them, and they don't know who put them up either.

So, it being Sunday, eight o' clock, and the whole school having been curious about this new station being advertised at Hogwarts, you tell your housemates to quiet down, and you turn your wand to the common room radio.

For half a minute, there is only silence. As you start to wonder whether you dialed in correctly, you hear the shuffling of papers.

~

Elsewhere in the castle, in a dark, sound-proofed closet, a young woman in Muggle clothes clears her throat and adjusts the magical headphones over her ears. She leans forward, close to the small screen between her and the microphone, and plants a sweet, seductive smile on her face as she dives into the role she's prepared for herself. In the warmest, most sultry and soothing voice she can manage, she purrs into the device.

~

_Hello everyone, and welcome, to the first-ever broadcast of the Hogwarts Star, your reliable source for school news. I'm Diamond Holiday, and I'm here to deliver your taste of the big, the interesting, the disturbing, right here at Hogwarts._

_First, I'd like to extend a warm welcome to any listeners from Durmstrang or Beauxbatons, who have just arrived at Hogwarts today, to participate in an event we've all been looking eagerly forward to since it was first announced: the Triwizard Tournament._

_As you all may have heard already, the Tournament is an ancient tradition between our three schools, and it's being revived this year, under promises to make it a safer practice, with only as much injury as our typical Quidditch game, and, hopefully, no deaths. If you're familiar with Quidditch games here at Hogwarts, you'll be about as reassured by that as I am – which is to say, not very much. To any hoping to become a champion in the Triwizard Tournament, from our beloved school or not: take care, and good luck._

_In other news, our new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor this year, beating out Professor Severus Snape for the position yet again, is Alastor “Mad-Eye” Moody, an infamous former Auror who already seems to be settling in with a positive fervor from the student populace, joining the ranks along with Professor Remus Lupin as one of the best and most popular Defense Professors Hogwarts has had in years._

_But despite his many admirers, Professor Moody's conduct at Hogwarts has so far been odd, controversial, and even dangerous. Listeners may or may not know that a few weeks ago, he attempted to use Transfiguration, in this case turning a human being into a ferret, in order to punish fourth-year student Draco Malfoy for dueling in the halls; he even proceeded to levitate the student high into the air while still in animal form. Thanks to the timely intervention of Professor Minerva McGonnagal, Professor Moody's behavior was corrected, and Malfoy was punished in a more appropriate manner, but the fact remains that this was done, and a student was possibly traumatized. Under Magical Assault Law, this could have been interpreted as “intent to kill,” and in my humble opinion, the professor is very lucky that both the school and Malfoy's guardians declined to press charges._

_And that's not all, as many of you listening know well already. More recently, Professor Moody has been demonstrating the Unforgivable Curses in class – the three infamous spells that, in Britain, and if performed on a person, will condemn the caster to a lifetime in Azkaban Prison. Reportedly, the Defense Professor has been showing the effects of these curses to students as young as third year, but most concerningly, he has now apparently crossed the line of the law, and has been performing one of them_ _ on _ _students – the Imperius Curse. His given reason for doing this is to teach students to_ _ fight _ _the curse, something even trained Aurors regard with skepticism and consider very difficult to attempt, according to an anonymous source._

_This is all done ostensibly with Headmaster Dumbledore's permission – or so Professor Moody claims. But_ _ this _ _student can't help but wonder if the Headmaster really knows what's going on in his Defense classrooms – or if the Ministry is aware of this year's Defense curriculum at all._

_Moving on to something lighter: Professor Rubeus Hagrid of the Care of Magical Creatures department has apparently discovered an entirely new species of magical animal, which he has dubbed the “Blast-Ended Skrewt.” This year he's generously debuting it, not to the magical zoology community at large, but to his students at Hogwarts first, allowing them the privilege of being the very first scholars to see what exciting discoveries this creature holds in store._

_Finally, in student news, fourth-year Hermione Granger of Gryffindor House has attempted to start a new social welfare movement for house elves, under the perhaps unfortunately named Society for the Protection of Elfish Welfare, or S.P.E.W. Among the society's core values are the recognition of elfish personhood, the idea that house elves are the equals of wizards mentally and magically, and the concept that house elves innately deserve the same rights under the law that humans or goblins have. Granger's long-term goals are to get house-elves the right to vote, and the right to be paid for their labor. If you're at all interested or have any questions, you just contact Hermione Granger in person, or send her an owl._

_And that's all we have for this week, friends. Thank you for listening to the Hogwarts Star, and tune in again next week, same time, same station, for the latest school news. If you have any questions you'd like addressed here, just owl them in, addressed to “Diamond Holiday of the Hogwarts Star Radio.” I've been your host, Diamond Holiday, and I'll be back again, next time._

~

The voice stops speaking, and the audio cuts out, leaving only white noise. You shut off the radio with a wave of your wand, and the common room bursts into rapid, excited discussion. Only you are silent while pondering this new development.

The main question, of course, on everyone's mind, is this: who is Diamond Holiday?

In the commotion, you quietly slip up to your dormitory, sit down at your desk, and pull out a piece of parchment.


	2. After the Goblet

The next day, news of the broadcast is overshadowed by attempts to place names in the Goblet of Fire. Nonetheless, knowledge of it spreads, and soon everyone, no matter how much of an outcast they might be, knows about the Hogwarts Star.

Ron Weasley, Harry Potter, and Hermione Granger sit together in the Great Hall, study materials piled around them, while in the center of the Hall, three first-years stand on each other's shoulders to try and toss a scrap of paper over the Age Line.

Hermione has her nose in her Potions textbook, while Ron sprawls lazily next to her across the bleachers, and Harry frowns at a question on a quiz behind them. “Hermione, did you catch the broadcast, last night? I didn't see you in the common room when Harry and me listened,” Ron asks, abruptly ending his own angry rant about Malfoy going around, loudly complaining to anyone who would listen about him being 'traumatized' by his experience with Moody.

Hermione looks up in mild surprise. “No, I didn't, I completely forgot about it.”

This causes Harry to look up from his own homework. “Really? You're usually so... Well-informed.”

Hermione huffs softly at her friend, smiling nonetheless. “I'm only human, I can't stay on top of everything.”

Ron mumbles something that sounds like it could be the words 'not what you thought last year,' but Hermione can't fully make it out.

“I heard Professor Moody got called up to Dumbledore's office. I guess he really didn't know about the curses,” continues Ron, with a note of disappointment in his voice. “I guess we might be losing our Defense teacher earlier than usual this year.”

“I can't say I'm sorry,” Harry says, turning back to his quiz. “If he was killing and torturing spiders in front of third-years.”

“We saw worse in our third year! They can handle it.” Ron kicks the side of the bleacher, scuffing it with his shoe. “I'm just pissed it turned out he was lying to us. I thought he seemed like a cool bloke. He still is, kind of, but he lied to _Dumbledore_.”

Hermione bites her lip. “Well let's just wait to see what Professor Dumbledore makes of it. He and Professor Moody are friends, maybe it was just a misunderstanding. At least he knows, now.”

“Indeed.” Harry, Ron and Hermione all jump as Professor Albus Dumbledore seems to appear behind them, a beatific smile affixed to his face. “And you needn't be worried for Professor Moody. He will remain for the rest of the year, and the subject matter of his classes has been, shall we say, clarified. I'm quite grateful to Miss Holiday for drawing this matter to the school's attention.”

Something in the way his eyes sparkle with amusement makes Hermione nervous. She hastily slurps down her pumpkin juice, and squirms away with a hasty excuse, leaving Harry and Ron confused in her wake.

~

A great many things happen that week, most of them that very Monday night. Time flies fast, and soon it's Sunday, 5 P.M.

Hermione Granger slips out of the library with a folder clutched to her chest. There's no one else in the hallway outside, and she starts quickly making her way back to the Gryffindor common room.

“Ah, Miss Granger, I've been hoping to catch a word with you.”

Hermione whirls around to find Professor Dumbledore standing by the entrance to a nearby classroom. “Oh! Professor! What did you want to talk to me about?”

With a mischievous twinkle in his eye, he replies. “I simply wanted to congratulate you on finding a way to push your own boundaries, Miss Granger. What you're doing is brave, and quite a new idea in the history of this school.”

Hermione very quickly shakes her head, hastily answering “I don't know what you're talking about, Professor! You must have me mixed up with someone else!”

Dumbledore chuckles. “Whatever you say, Miss Granger. But just so you know, I look forward to your broadcast tonight.” And with that, he is gone, leaving Hermione standing awkwardly in the corridor, until she comes to her senses. When she does, she makes a mad dash up the stairs two by two, almost plunging her foot straight into the trick step, barely jumping onto the landing in time before the staircase starts moving to the next floor up, and barreling into the common room after a hastily spoken password.

There is no one inside. Almost everyone is either still at dinner (she'd finished _very_ early) or with their friends at club meetings. She has the whole dormitory to herself.

She quickly makes her way up the stairs to the girls' dorms. After a careful search of the beds and bathrooms, no one is there either.

From out of her pocket, Hermione takes a small bronze doorknob. Taking off her shoes, she climbs onto her bed, draws the curtains, and sets the doorknob against the exposed wall.

The bronze melts into the stone like syrup being poured on a waffle – the knob itself remains as the bronze spreads and shapes itself into a doorframe, the stone under it transforming into amber-colored wood. When it's finished, Hermione stands on her bed with a door in front of her. She takes a key, inserts into into the lock that has appeared above the knob, twists the key to the left, and then pulls it open wide.

The door opens out, revealing a dark hole in the wall. She steps up into it, closing the door behind her, and lighting the candles on the walls inside with a whispered spell.

~

Hermione had toyed with the idea of hosting a radio show since she was in primary school. Her parents listened to the radio all the time, and it had made a profound impact on her young self – she'd always wished she could have as much confidence as the announcers on the radio did, that she could make people want to listen to her like they did, and it made her wonder if the key to being like them was somehow in speaking out across the airwaves themselves.

As soon as she'd found out wizards had radio as well, she'd started doing research, just out of curiosity. They had all the magical equivalents of Muggle equipment, although some of it looked different; receivers were small, rough-cut crystals set into a gyroscope, which seemed to rotate depending on what station you were listening to, and Hermione suspected that this, somehow, was how wizarding radio kept from getting picked up on Muggle frequencies.

It was on her summer trip to the Quidditch World Cup when she found something that truly inspired her, pushed her towards finally taking that first step – after hearing Mr. Weasley being slandered in the paper, Hermione had realized that students at a boarding school, especially at Hogwarts, had a limited way of getting news. Misinformation was rampant in wizarding society, and staying on top of current events was especially important for witches and wizards of her generation. This was her chance to make a difference, to give the gift of reliable, rigorous journalism to the student body.

So she had made orders to a few owl-order catalogs. A microphone, a transmitter, a receiver, a master console panel, headphones – and, of course, she would need some place to hide and start her broadcasts. She looked at a few abandoned classrooms and closets, but all of them had some degree of risk, of possible discovery and interruption. Finally, after arriving at school, she spotted something in a catalog that caught her eye – a Portable Room. Magically sound-proofed, lockable, useful for storage, easily hidden, and you could do absolutely anything in it that you could do in a normal room. It had taken some testing, but magical radio signals could indeed be transmitted to and from the space. It was her ideal solution.

With the perfect setup, the rest was up to her. Sixty percent of proper journalism was research, and that was what she did best. News didn't come from books, but research wasn't just reading, it was knowing what to look for. The other forty percent was presentation, and that was what was going to be difficult.

She knew she couldn't do it with _herself_ as the host – no one took her seriously at this school, not even her friends. Hermione had to create a _character_ , the ideal radio show host, who was everything that Hermione had always wanted to be and more – suave, confident, and (as embarrassing as she felt it was to _want_ such a quality) sexy. A lot of her preparation time was spent practicing, trying to create a soothing, confident voice that Hermione felt that even _she_ would trust. She had had to imagine what this girl – no, _woman_ would say, how she would say it, what she wanted people to think about, her likes, dislikes and hobbies: and thus, Diamond Holiday was born.

There was more, so much more – writing the script for herself, learning how to use the equipment, reserving a station number anonymously (that had taken a good chunk of her pocket money) figuring out who to talk to and stay on top of everything happening at Hogwarts – Hermione is quickly learning that running this show is going to be a lot of work that will never be finished, but it's going to be worth it, it's all going to be worth it, because she knows this is something her school _needs_.

~

At eight o'clock, after days of preparation, fact-checking, reading and re-reading tonight's script, doing voice exercises, it's time.

A wave of a wand dims the lights (it sets the right mood), a final clear of the throat prepares her voice, a tap against the table straightens the papers in the script, and a slim, dark-skinned hand flips a switch to WM, then lands on a dial on the master console, and turns it until the numbers say: _196.7_.

~

_Hello, friends, and welcome to tonight's broadcast. This is the Hogwarts Star,_ _your reliable source for school news. I'm your host, Diamond Holiday, and I'm here to deliver a taste of the big, the interesting, and the disturbing, right here at Hogwarts._

_First, an update on the Triwizard Tournament. For those of you not present for last Monday's selection ceremony, the infamous Goblet of Fire chose Quidditch celebrity Viktor Krum as champion of Durmstrang, and notable star student Fleur Delacour as champion for Beauxbatons, but the identity of the champion of our own fair school has unexpectedly become a point of contention._

_You see, friends, more than one name emerged from the Goblet as a Hogwarts champion – sixth-year Hufflepuff prefect Cedric Diggory, and fourth-year Harry Potter. The Boy-Who-Lived should need little introduction, dear listeners, but many are wondering how the underage Potter was chosen, given the Age Line cast over the Goblet of Fire by Headmaster Dumbledore to minimize risks to the student body._

_The prevailing theory seems to be that an older student was prevailed upon to place Potter's name in the Goblet, but this theory does not explain why his name was chosen in_ _ addition _ _to Diggory's, and not instead. Harry Potter himself claims he never entered his name in the Goblet, and had no intention of doing so, a declaration that has been received with skepticism from most of the students present for the Tournament. The official statement given by tournament officials is that the Goblet was magically tampered with by an as yet unknown party._

_If an older student was involved, they're not telling, and regardless of whether it was Potter's intention to be selected as a champion or not, the judges of the Triwizard Tournament are enforcing the rule that he compete, in accordance with the ancient magical contract that dictates all chosen champions_ _ must _ _participate – even if they have changed their mind. If Potter has entered the Tournament of his own accord, it's this student's fervent wish that he did so understanding the risks. Whether any of the champions chose to enter or not, it is to my understanding that_ _ all _ _of them face terrible danger in the tasks ahead. To Fleur Delacour, Viktor Krum, Cedric Diggory, and yes, Harry Potter: good luck, and be safe._

_In other news, a new club has sprung up over the past week – Terry Boot of Ravenclaw has founded the Gobstones club, in honor of his favorite game. Students from all houses are reportedly flocking to join him, eager to find new game partners and be recognized for their skills. If any listeners are intrigued by this prospect, all they need do is seek out fourth-year Boot in person or by owl for more information._

_Before we move on to our last segment of the night, I would like to wish a very happy fifteenth birthday to Miss Sally-Anne Perks in fourth year, who is planning to sit her NEWTs early this year, and if all goes to plan, she will be graduating in the spring along with our seventh-year class. Happy Birthday, Sally-Anne, and good luck!_

_Finally, we have some letters from last week's listeners. First up are two missives by “A Flower from Hufflepuff,” who on the 30_ _th_ _of October wrote what follows:_

“ _Dear Ms. Holiday,_

_  
Your voice was lovely this evening over the airwaves. After hearing your thoughts about the safety of Quidditch, I was wondering how you felt about it being put on hold for this tournament. By the time of your next show, the champions will be chosen, what do you say about their odds? And for those of us uninformed, what are these 'House-Elves'? Do you have any advice of where to learn more?_

_From a soon to be dedicated listener,  
A Flower from Hufflepuff - x”_

_Shortly after, on October the 31_ _st_ _, this same listener also sent the following:_

“ _Dear Ms Holiday,_

_It looks like that attention seeking Potter got into the tournament, so our worries about its safety seem to be well founded._

_My full support behind Cedric Diggory,  
A Flower from Hufflepuff.”_

_Well, dear listener, in response to your first letter, my thanks for the compliment – it is most flattering to hear that from you. In regards to the cancellation of this year's Quidditch season, I have never been the most avid of Quidditch fans, but I was as disappointed as most of my fellow students upon hearing that such a steadfast tradition was being put aside. However, getting to see the Triwizard Tournament is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and I am grateful to have the chance to witness it._

_On the champions' odds, I would say that Krum is the oldest and most experienced of all four of them, and not to mention the most flexible in the event of a crisis, given his athletic career. That being said, I've always been one to cheer for the home team, and Diggory is not that much younger himself, with the same amount of experience, albeit not on a professional level. I certainly wouldn't count him out of the running either. We've yet to see what Delacour and Potter are capable of, but given both were still chosen, I would expect great things from them too._

_For your final question, Flower, I will read you the official definition of House-Elves given by the latest edition of Wednesday Wordwright's 'A Magical Dictionary for the Muggleborn, Volume Four:'_

“ _House-Elf: A creature created to serve wizards. The House-Elf race has served wizardkind since time immemorial, the original rituals by which they came into being long since lost. A notable wizard family will often have an accompanying House-Elf family tied to them as servants in the feudal fashion. A House-Elf is an extraordinarily loyal creature, and will often choose to punish itself when it believes it has wronged its master. The only way the binding between an elf and its master can be severed is if the master wishes to dismiss the elf, and does so by gifting them clothes, whereby the elf can then seek out a new home and master if they wish._ _”_

_There are many other resources available in the Hogwarts library if this topic interests you, listeners, and I'm sure Hermione Granger, head of the newly renamed House-Elf Liberation Protest Society, would also be happy to provide more information._

_Finally, to end tonight's broadcast, we have a letter from one “Notorious Serpent,” who wrote us this message:_

“ _To Holiday, whoever you are,_

_You claim to be a Hogwarts student, but are using a false name on your public platform, like a coward. What House are you in? Why are you even doing this? Your show is the most pointless endeavor I've ever seen – everyone already knows what's going on at Hogwarts, they don't need you to repeat it to them every Sunday. You're not even covering anything important – go back to your little village or wherever you come from and be the idiot there._

_Disrespectfully,_

_A Notorious Serpent.”_

_Well, Serpent, I'm sure you realize by now the irony of yourself using a false name on my public platform to criticize me, so I won't insult you by discussing it further. I'm afraid I can't tell you my House, friends, as I would prefer privacy, and I feel that proper journalism is best done without bias. On this show, you will never hear me say my opinion as a member of a particular House, only as a student of Hogwarts, and I feel that should be the standard by which we are all judged._

_As for why I do this? Friends, I've always felt that we shouldn't be ruled by fear and the rumor mill when it comes to knowing what's going on in our fair school. I decided to start this show so that we could all know the unaltered facts of what is happening around us, from the newest first-year just starting out, to the seventh-years graduating in mere months. What Hogwarts needs is a source that can be trusted, and I hope that I can be that for you, friends._

_That's all we have for this week, my dear listeners. Thank you for listening to the Hogwarts Star, and you can tune in again next week, same time, same station, for the latest in school news. If you have any questions you'd like addressed here on this show, please owl them in, addressed to “Diamond Holiday of the Hogwarts Star Radio.” I've been your host, Diamond Holiday, and I'll be back again, next time. Goodnight, Hogwarts._

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Send in your own letters to Diamond Holiday in the comments below, roleplaying as Hogwarts students! Just write them like letters, and address them to the host of the Hogwarts Star, and Hermione, as Diamond Holiday, will respond to them in the next chapter.

**Author's Note:**

> Got a question for Diamond Holiday? Pretend you're a Hogwarts student, and write your letter to her in the comments below!


End file.
